Manga has become an important part of Japanese culture and life. However, it wasn't always accepted among Japanese citizens. During the 70's, many groups of parents banned together to stop the distribution of manga. The parents would constantly go to manga rental shops to harass the owners and threaten to shut down their operation for good. Manga was thought of as immoral, disgusting and impure products that tainted a child's innocence.
Ironically, the parents who formed these anti-manga organizations had never picked up a copy of any type of genre. They would barely look at the cover and pass on their quick judgments. Eventually, schools gave into their protests and began implementing an official ban against children going to manga rental shops. It's a far cry from what is available at your very own finger tips today. Thankfully, their meaningless protests did not cloud the creative minds of artists and fans all over the world.
Reality Manga
Just after WWII, many war themed manga's began to surface. Some critics claimed that Mizuki Shigeru's portrayals of his experiences during the war were graphic and realistic, but told the truth about what really happened.
The influence of television
As television became more and more affordable among the average Japanese family, animations were introduced. Astro Boy by Tezuka Osamu, was the first series to feature regular characters in an ongoing plot. Tezuka Osamu is known for his eccentric behavior and brilliant, creative mind. His stories were ahead of his time and still loved by many.
Manga today
Manga has no boundaries in terms of creativity. It continues to influence and touch the lives of many individuals. Its recent popularity amongst international fans continues to grow and soon even Hollywood will not be able to ignore its presence. A few movies based on different manga's are set to go into production soon. I very much look forward to seeing what the future holds for manga.
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